N   E   W   S

Saturday

October 10th, 2009

I will continue to release the majority of my new art on my new site, SimpleTermsArt.com.  But beginning this month, all new pieces featuring flying, falling, leaping or floating stuff will be released (appropriately) here on FlyingGirl!  Yay.  I think I make enough art to keep both sites interesting.

A few things worth noting:  I will continue to offer the emailing list ONLY through SimpleTermsArt.com.  And most news will be released there as well.  This site will become both a "warehouse" for my older works AND a showcase for my "gravitationally gifted" new pieces.  If you are looking to buy original FlyingGirl art from 2008 or earlier, those pieces are only available in my Bonanzle booth at this time.  The new flying and floating art will be available for sale here on this site.

Thank you for visiting!

Love,

M

Monday

December 22nd, 2008

After nine years here, my attention has shifted to www.SimpleTermsArt.com.  I hope you will visit me there.  The Tiny Art series and the In Motion series will both continue in that new venue eventually.  I will no longer be releasing new work here.

I am grateful for this place.  And invested in maintaining this unique space.  I am continually adding images to the FlyingGirl shop on Zazzle.  And I am happy to answer questions about FlyingGirl images.  But I am also a little relieved to rest my arms and land in a new chapter of my life. 

I am excited about the new works that are on the way.  And I am interested to see what images will define me next.  I expect that SimpleTerms will be one period in my career.  As FlyingGirl has been.  I expect there will be additional periods down the road a ways.  If I am lucky enough to live that long. 

It is good to know that life continues on its own course.  That I am not an idea or an illustration, but a moving changing force.  It is good to paint.  Just that.  To paint.

Love,

M

Tuesday

December 2nd, 2008

I am in the process of removing all shopping cart stuff from the site.  It could take a while!  But the sales are all over now.  Thank you for shopping with me.  Watch for news here soon about the new site.

Love,

M

Friday

October 30th, 2008

I have big news this evening.  I am shifting my focus away from FlyingGirl.com.  You know how when I moved I said there was a whole new body of work on the way?  You know how I have said that repeatedly for a while now?  Except my work never really changed all that much?  Not enough.  Not enough for me, anyway.  You know that feeling when you have a word that you NEED but you can not claim it?  And that word is sitting right on the very tip of your tongue?  But you still cannot find it?  So you make other words work, but they are not quite right?  And you never stop wanting the word that is right.  The word that is waiting.  Well, many many forces have conspired to bring me to this very moment and to flood me with only exactly the right visions.  I am not making do anymore.  I have what I need.  Finally.

So I am turning down a whole new path.  And I am afraid I have to go there without you.  At least for a while.  I will leave a smaller version of FlyingGirl.com online and I will occasionally come out with new (In Motion) pieces and new Tiny Art pieces.  And I have a few commissions to complete.  But the rest of my creative energies are now fully invested in my new body of work.  The work that sings to me.  My truth.  Hopefully, there will come a time when I connect that work with this work and invite you all over for a visit.  But this beginning time is too personal.  I want to get to know my new work intimately before I bring it home to meet my family.  You.

Thank you for all your love and support.  Thank you for being kind and generous and never making me feel foolish when I was soft and vulnerable.  Thank you for valuing me and my artwork.

The remaining inventory here is all on sale.  Final clearance pricing.  All shopping cart buttons should be updated, but if they are not, let me know.  I have marked some giclees down.  I have marked ALL original art down.  These are my lowest prices.  I am sorry, but I will not be negotiating anything lower.  And I will not be accepting payment plans on these pieces.  But I will leave these crazy low prices online until the end of November.

There are new print options available through Imagekind.  I have tested them out and their quality is EXCELLENT.  So is their customer service.  And you can get BIG prints which is kinda fun.  The prints ship rolled up which makes them easier to store.  Custom frame places can flatten the print for you prior to framing.  Oh, and Imagekind has some really cool framing options, too.  Try them out.  Just use the "Next" button instead of the "Add to Cart" button if you want to see how different frames and mats look.  I have had a great time playing on there.  Also, if you want me to add a specific image to my inventory there, let me know.

Thanks, again, friends!  I have had a wonderful time here these past NINE years!  I am not leaving completely.  And I am so excited about the new world I will be creating.  I will stay in touch, I promise.  I hope you will, too.

Love,

Melissa

Friday

October 3rd, 2008

Here is a link to the new Zazzle products.

And here is a thingy that links to the prints on ImageKind...

Friday

September 19th, 2008

How are you, friends?  I hope that all is well.

First, for a personal update, I am still beyond thrilled with my new life.  So no news is good news there.  I will TRY to get new personal photos - including Waffle! - up soon in my blog.

As for work, my newest passion is the IN MOTION series.  Watch for many new pieces in that group over the coming months.

Thank you for visiting.  And for supporting my work.

Best wishes,

M

Sunday

August 17th, 2008

What a crazy, glorious, gigantic time this is in my life.  Confusing, sometimes sad.  Mostly just miraculous.  A time of NEWNESS.  A time of discovery.  A time of GRACE.  A time of gratitude and reflection and quiet and bone deep goodness.  I am so ready to be well.  Strong and full of hope again.  I am so ready to feel successful and to make good choices.

Thanks again for your patience as I waded through the darkness.  And thank you for your faith that I would get here.  Sometimes that is all I had.

I am hard at work on a number of new paintings as well as some new web things and many necessary site updates.  More news on that soon.  I am also about to dive into the deep end of a very LARGE, very personal painting.  I will post updates here as it nears completion.  And there is a HUGE new commissioned series coming up, too.  When that one hits, other new works will slow.  Until then, I am going to start a fun new program for smaller commissions.  I am excited about it.

Well, that is all my news for now.  Time to go play with my furry kids.

Much love,

Melissa

Thursday

August 14th, 2008

Wednesday

July 30th, 2008

I promised new work today, so I am reopening the site as scheduled.  But I am in the midst of all sorts of web work.  The site is in a bit of disarray.  Please be patient with me as I continue updating. 

There are twelve fabulous new works available with many more on the way.

Currently, many pages still show the Freedom Sale pricing.  I will be fixing that over the next few days.  But I will honor whatever price is published, so no need to write me about it if you choose to do some shopping.

I am sorry I could not get everything ready on time, but I do hope you enjoy the new paintings.  I had a blast creating them and I am glad I can share them with you via this wacky web.

Love,

M

Sunday

July 13th, 2008

Just a few news bits.  There are many new works of art on the site with a TON more to come.  I am a busy girl.  There are also auctions ending soon and I will be adding a few new auctions Thursday evening.  The Freedom Sale is on now.  That will be ending on the 24th of July.  And I may close the site for a few days after that to roll out a new group of paintings.

Also worth noting:  Black Magic Rat and Buddha Light just got custom-framed.

Thanks for visiting,

M

Friday

June 27th, 2008

To celebrate and to thank you for your loyal patronage, I will be having a "Freedom Sale" beginning on Monday morning.  With huge discounts on everything.  I will start updating pages with sale pricing as early as this evening and will honor those prices as soon as they are posted, so you are welcome to shop early if you like.  And be sure to check out the auctions running now, too.

Sending love,

Melissa

PS:  The Claim Your Art page will return after the sale!

PPS:  I am sorry, but coupons may not be applied to already reduced sale prices.  Thank you for understanding.

Thursday

June 19th, 2008

You will find all sorts of new art here on the site and personal updates in my blog.  If you have not been by the the claim your art page yet, you can click here to have a look.  And I will be sending a coupon out to my personal mailing list later today, so be sure to sign up if you want savings on new color for your home or office.

Also worth noting, a few pieces have come back in the trade your art program, so check out the available art page to see what is back in stock.

Best wishes,

M

Saturday

March 8th, 2008

Live A Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

Author - Michael Josephson